Title: Flower of Love Part: 1 Author: Bubbles Legoliza@aol.com Disclaimers: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of the associated characters. Hello everyone!! This is my first fan-fic so when you read it, go kinda easy on my mistakes. I got the idea from a fan-fic written by ChibiSerenity ( she is sooo wonderful! )so all the creativity points go to her. I would just like to say thanks to Alicia Blade, Twilight, and Nicole Cherre as well for writing such beautiful and romantic stories. If you haven't read any of them, you had better hightail it over to the Library section. My story takes place in the very early 1990s so everyone is obsessed with social status and how you behave in public. I hope you like it. On with the story!! "----" means talking '----' means thinking You'll be able to tell when I change the scene ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --------- It was winter in London, very cold and very overcast. Then sun was hidden behind the dark clouds and showed no signs of ever coming out. The streets were busy as usual. The poor begged in street corners while the rich hurried away in the carriages pretending not to notice. Everything was gray, the street, the houses, even the people. Only one thing stood out-yellow roses. Serena stood upon the sidewalk, one hand carrying a basket of roses, the other waving one about. "Roses! Would anyone like to buy my roses? A rose sir? Ma'am? Roses! Please buy my roses!" She called out, but to no avail. No one paid any attention to her. Normally Serena was a maid, but her last mistress had moved away to Scotland and she could not follow her. Serena really was a pitiable figure. Her face and hands were smudged with dirt and soot from the street. She had no hat to warm her head and her pale hair was matted and in a messy braid. Serena's clothes, though well mended, were threadbare and rumpled. She was incredibly cold, but she kept going. "Roses for sale! Please buy my- oh!" Serena had backed into someone and had fallen down, scattering flowers everywhere. In fact, it was a very rich someone. His cloak and scarf were of a very fine material, not mention the top hat upon his head. "Oh, sir, I am so very sorry! Please forgive me. I was so clumsy!" Serena attempted to salvage her yellow roses from the dirty street. "No, it was my fault entirely. I should have been watching where I was going. Here, let me help you," the strange man said and knelt beside her. Serena stared at him in surprise, then recovered herself and kept mumbling apologies. Then he interrupted her. "What is your name, miss?" Serena was taken back. Men, especially rich ones, did not usually ask for her name! "Se- Serena Anderson, sir," she stuttered. "I am Darien Shields." Throughout this brief encounter, Darien had gotten a good look at his 'assailant'. Her skin, though dirty, was pale and delicately flushed. Even through the knots and snags Darien could tell that her hair was flaxen and soft. Then he met her eyes. They were a beautiful colour of blue with hints of gray. They were so calm, like a summer morning. Dark circles, however, underlined them and showed that her sleep and been short and restless. Serena stared at Darien's eyes. They were so blue, so clear; she was instantly reminded of a picture of the ocean she had seen once. And the bits of black hair that fell over his eyebrows only complimented his features even more. "There you are Miss Serena," Darien said. He was as mesmerized as she was. Their hands touched briefly, then Darien stood and helped the flower girl to her feet. They stayed that way for a moment, her small cold hand in his large one, but it was imprinted in their minds forever. "I have to go," he whispered, "but I would like to buy this rose." He took one and managed to resist taking her into his arms, basket and all. "Yes, Mr. Shields. Two shillings please," Serena whispered back. Oh, how she wanted to hold his hands again! Darien dug through his purse for a moment before handing the girl a five pound note. "Sir, I'm afraid I have no change. Have you nothing smaller?" "Keep it." "But sir I couldn't! Just keep the flower for free, you helped me pick them up and all!" Serena cried and thrust the money back at him. Darien stepped back unwillingly. "Please keep it," he said and turned away. Serena watched him hurry down the street and disappear into a door that was obviously his home. '1220 Travers Street.' Already Serena felt as though she knew the numbers by heart. Then she shook her head as though to clear it before continuing on her way. Meanwhile... Darien stepped inside the front hall of his city house and took off his coat and hat. 'Serena Anderson. What a beautiful name, not to mention her face...' A voice intruded on his daydream. "Sir, your mother has come and is waiting for you in the drawing room." It was his butler. "Thank you Walters. How long has she been here?" Darien asked. "No more than half an hour, sir." "Hmm. Take my coat please," Darien said and handed the item to the man. He then walked into the drawing room and kissed his mother's cheek. "Good afternoon, Mother. You are well I hope?" "I am fine dear. I have to come to speak with you on a very important subject." Mrs. Shields said. She was an elderly lady of about 57 and had long gray hair which she kept up in a bun. She had bright blue eyes like her son. "Not politics I hope?" Darien said, pouring himself a glass of sherry. His mother smiled. "No." "Good, because I abhor politics." Darien toyed with rose he had bought. It was so fragile, like the seller. "No, my topic is much more delicate. I have decided it is time for you to get a wife." "Mother, I have asked you repeatedly not to dwell in my personal life. You would find it incredibly boring." "That is my point exactly Darien. It should be more interesting. You need a wife. For heaven's sakes you're 28! All of your friends are either engaged or married themselves," Mrs. Shields pointed out. "With the exception of Charles," Darien said. "Well, Charles is somewhat wild and he is only 24. We must make excuses. Listen to me dear, Mina McMullen and Lita Davis have just returned from their season in Paris and they brought back a lovely girl with them. Her name is Raye Chauvelin and is rumored to be the most beautiful woman in Paris! I would like for you to meet her. Mina's mother tells me that she is the sweetest girl." Darien sighed. The one girl he wanted to see was Serena. 'To see Serena again would be incredibly silly. Get her out of your mind Darien! This Raye sounds very nice.' "I will meet her Mother, but please, don't expect too much," he said. 'Especially since Serena has now made her home into my long-term memory!' "Wonderful dear! I will go arrange it." Mrs. Shields gloated slightly. Her son finally sounded interested in a girl! Maybe this time he would listen reason and get engaged! Later that evening... Serena trudged home, weary and cold. But one thing kept her warm, the thought of Darien. She had only seen him for about five minutes but Serena could feel that something was there. They he looked into her eyes, the way he held her hands... 'NO! I must not think about him, or his blue eyes or his kind nature.' Serena lived in a tiny rented room with her surrogate sister Ami Anderson. They had met each other when Serena was 13. She had lost all of her memory of her childhood but sought to make a new one with Ami. They had lived together in this second-story hovel for about 11 years somehow managing to pay the rent. Ami's fiancee, Gregory Jones, ran a bookshop and lent a lot of the books to Ami and Serena. The novels of Jane Austen and Oscar Wilde covered the tiny bookshelf. Serena walked into their single roomed home and said hullo to her sister. Ami was often very sick so therefore she could not work. Sometimes she was barely well enough to walk. Ami lay upon the bed they shared, a shawl wrapped around her narrow shoulders, the book Persuasion in her lap. Serena knelt besides the bed and put her hand on Ami's cool forehead. "How is your cold today? I see you managed to light the fire and make soup. That is surely a good sign." Her blue-haired sister coughed slightly. "Better. I was very tired after making the soup even though I didn't cook that much. Gregory visited me while you were out. He brought me flowers." She smiled and then started coughing again. Serena went got the bowl of soup that had been brewing in the small fireplace. She slowly fed it to Ami. "Did you manage to sell any flowers today?" Ami asked between bites. Serena colored slightly at the thought of Darien. "I was given 5 pounds by one man," she said and handed Ami the money. "Oh Serena! He must have bought all your flowers!" Ami exclaimed. "Actually, he only bought one." "One flower and you accepted all the money from him! Serena you shouldn't have!" "I know, I know. I tried to give it back, honestly I did. But he just wouldn't take it. He was so kind and generous. I backed into him and spilled my flowers. Then he got down on his hands and knees and started to help me pick them up. His name is Darien Shields." "You know his name? Who is this gentleman?" "He's very rich, I think. 1220 Travers Street. He was so nice to me." Serena's glazed slightly at the memory. "Serena! Serena! Don't think about him!" Ami snapped her fingers in front of her sister's face. "I wasn't!" "You have memorized his address! You think he is 'generous, kind, and nice'. Please be practical. He is rich and miles above our station. You will probably never see him again." "I know that. I know I'm dreaming, Ami. But when our eyes met...something happened that I just can't explain." Ami smiled. "That's how it is between Gregory and I. But Serena, this gentleman is rich and, from the way you talk about him, very handsome. He probably has admirers at every corner. Serena, dearest, I do not wish to seem rude but..." "I stand no chance." Ami nodded slowly. Serena pouted slightly, then put on a false smile. She kissed her sister's cheek. "Thank you Ami for always bringing me back down to Earth. What would I do without you?" Ami smiled again. Then she remembered the soup. "Serena don't you want any supper? I have been a glutton eating all of it! Please have some." "No thanks Ami. I'm so cold, I forgot about being hungry, You go ahead and eat all of it." Serena was desperately hungry. She had been putting on this act for the past two days. Ami was sick and needed the food more than she did. That night, the girls clung to each other for warmth. Then London snow was here and it came through their broken window. Serena was once again kept awake from Ami's moaning and coughing. But when dawn arrived and she did fall asleep, her dreams were filled with images of Darien. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- Okay! That was part one! I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any comments/questions/suggestions then you can e-mail me at legoliza@aol.com And if your going to send me flame, try to write it as constructive critiscm- in other words, be nice about your nasty comments!